2013 will eventually be the year of mobile; alright, they said that of 2011 and 2012 as well. However, in the next 12 months, mobile devices will overtake desktop and laptop computers in terms of web traffic. There is no better moment than now to make your business mobile and be wherever your customers are. Check this list of 7 apps for smartphones and tablets that will bring your business up-to-date, help you to reduce overheads and save some time.

Ever felt like you are logging into too many tools every day? I have. Imagine having all of your emails, social networks, PayPal and content management systems together in one place, in a nice-looking dashboard. Done? This is what Geckoboard does for you. You can select and configure widgets to match your business needs, and then you’ll be ready to react faster to important events.

Square is a game-changing mobile app that allows you to take credit card payments from anywhere in the world. The service charges a small rate of 2.75% of the total transaction for Visa, American Express, MasterCard and Discover. Once you sign up for Square, the company will mail you a free credit card swiper that plugs into your phone or tablet’s headphone jack.

Square is linked to your bank account, so all the cash will show up as soon as the transaction is processed. It’s a great option for plumbers and electricians that are always on the move, or for small businesses who don’t want to work directly with credit card companies.

You can do pretty much everything on smartphones and tablets, including working comfortably on Word or Excel documents. Usually the problems come with the printing, though. Unless you have PrintCentral, a best-selling app that allows you to print direct to most Wi-Fi printers, or to all printers and any document type via your Mac/PC, even over 3G.

Managing expenses is a daunting task, especially if you are overseeing a team. Expensify could save you time and trouble. It is in fact an app that keeps track of business expenses and mileage, while letting users scan and upload receipts. Users can even file receipts by trip and submit expense reports to employers with the click of a button. The app has become so popular that it currently counts over 1 million users.

If your business involves a lot of paperwork, you may find yourself spending countless hours typing numbers into Excel. Time is money, in the end. Why not getting someone else to it for you? Shoeboxed team will turn your paper clutter into digital data for effortless expense reporting, accounting, bookkeeping, and tax preparation, as well as disposing safely of the originals. You can send them the paper in prepaid envelopes or take pictures with your smartphone. And in a few days all your receipts will be accessible via your favorite device.

You probably already have a mailing list for your business, but don’t get much out of it. If that is the case, it could be due to the quality of your newsletters. There are several tools and apps that could take your emails to the next level, and Constant Contact may be the best one. Easy editing tools make it a piece of cake to customize your email newsletters, add formatting with one click, and drag and drop images. Moreover, you can do all of that both from your desktop and mobile devices.

Tillify converts your PC, Mac, iPad or Android device into a powerful web-based iPad POS (point of service) app that makes it easy to accept payments anywhere in the world. You only need a tablet and an internet connection, and all your transactions will be registered instantly. If by any chance you lose the signal, everything is recorded and updated as soon as you get online again. Tillify is dead easy to use and free at the moment. Just think how cool you’ll look in front of your customers!

Editor’s Note

Daniel is a web junkie working at Franchise Sales, where he helps potential clients find the best internet franchises out there. When he’s not at his desk, he’s probably trying the next best app for his smartphone. You can email him by clicking here.